Sixers' Odds to Land Top-three Pick in NBA Draft Up in Air

The Sixers' NBA draft lottery odds are up in the air thanks to the Kings' play last week.

But, with the Sixers going into full tank mode -- whether they're doing it intentionally or not -- by ruling out Jahlil Okafor and Robert Covington for the remainder of the season, it should strengthen their odds in landing a top pick in June's NBA draft. 

Let's take a look at the Sixers' lottery odds and matchups in the future that could affect their lottery position.

Kings pick swap
Well, this week didn't start off well for Sixers fans cheering for the Kings to lose. The Kings stole two wins each by one point, beating the Clippers and the Grizzlies. 

But, it wasn't long until the Kings turned into, you know, their usual selves. They followed up that two-game winning streak with a two-game losing streak in blowout losses to the Jazz and Pelicans. 

However, the Kings ended that skid with a 123-117 win over the Timberwolves on Saturday.

Last week, they were slotted at the sixth spot in the draft lottery at 27-45. Now, they're at the seventh spot with a 30-47 record. 

With the Kings' pick swap, the Sixers have a 44.1 percent chance of landing in the top three, according to Tankathon.com. Last week, the Sixers had a 43.9 percent chance of landing a pick in the top three.

Lakers' pick
The Sixers' chances of getting the Lakers' top three protected pick have swayed in their favor.

Last week, the Lakers had a 55.8 percent chance of keeping their pick, while the Sixers had a 44.2 percent chance of landing the pick. But with a 108-103 victory over the Grizzlies on Sunday, the Lakers have fallen to the third spot in the lottery, a half game back behind the Suns, who have lost 12 consecutive games.

The Suns are 22-56, while the Lakers are 22-55 on the season.

Currently, the Lakers would have a 46.9 percent chance of keeping their pick, while the Sixers would have a 53.1 percent chance of it landing outside of the top three. 

If the season ended with the Lakers finishing with the third-worst record in the NBA, the Sixers would have a 22.6 percent chance at the fourth overall pick, a 26.5 percent chance at the fifth overall pick and a 4.0 percent chance at the sixth overall pick. 

But, with five games left for the Lakers this season, there's also a good chance they could end up with the second-worst record in the NBA.

The Lakers are 2-8 in their last 10 games. They're also 3-15 since the All-Star break.

Matchups to watch

Sixers' schedule
The Sixers play the Nets on Tuesday, the Bulls on Thursday and the Bucks on Saturday.

Even though head coach Brett Brown will have his guys motivated to play every night, the Sixers' plan the rest of the season should be to lose out in order to maximize their lottery chances. There's no other way to put it.

Again, losing Okafor and Covington should help them in the lottery as they continue to lose games and finish out the season.

Lakers' schedule
This might seem backward for Sixers fans to do, but you have to cheer for the Lakers to win. The more games the Lakers win, the farther they slip outside of the top three.

They have a matchup with the Spurs on Wednesday and the Kings on Friday. 

Kings schedule
The Kings play the Mavericks on Tuesday and the Lakers on Friday. Either result of the Lakers-Kings game will benefit the Sixers, but a Lakers win would be the better than a victory by the Kings.

Sure, a Kings loss adds to the Sixers' chances of a higher pick, but if the Lakers can slip to the third spot in the lottery, the Sixers will have a better chance getting the fourth, fifth or sixth overall pick.  

Suns schedule
The Suns will play the Warriors on Wednesday and the Thunder on Friday. 

Phoenix probably won't be favored in either of those games, as each of those teams has clinched a playoff berth, which is great for the Sixers.  

Magic schedule
Orlando isn't talked about a lot regarding the draft lottery, but they sit at the fourth spot, with a one game lead over the Sixers. The two teams could flip flop spots in the coming weeks, though.

If the Magic and Sixers did switch spots, and the Kings remained in the seventh spot, the Sixers would have a 52.7 percent chance of landing a top-three pick.  

The Magic play the Cavaliers on Tuesday, the Nets on Thursday and the Pacers on Saturday.